The Witness of Our Buildings

Information sheets to help Friends make our

buildings less damaging to the environment

VIII. DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION,

AND EXTENSION
According to the Building Research Establishment’s BREEAM Report, “The provision and use of buildings
probably has a greater impact on the global environment than any other human activity.” Building of any
kind damages the environment in several ways: in occupying land which could otherwise be used for
animals and plants; in the manufacture, storage, and transport of materials; in the construction work itself; in
ongoing operation and maintenance of the building; and in disposing of structures and their components.
However, through careful design and construction there is a great deal that can be done to reduce this
damage, and providing ecologically efficient buildings can also save costs in the long run.

Environmentally friendly building design should be seen as part of general good building design. Everyone
involved must understand how the building is going to be used, and any environmental concept must be
carried through the design, construction, and operation of the building. For example, if a sophisticated
control system is required for energy-efficient operation, the occupants must be suitably qualified to operate
the controls. Recent research has shown that buildings with state-of-the-art energy management systems
actually underperform normal buildings if the energy management systems are not properly operated.

Do consider engaging a specialist to conduct an environmental audit of existing or proposed buildings. The
Government-sponsored Energy Design Advice Scheme (EDAS) can provide helpful advice.

1. Design
Design which integrates the following elements is essential in order to produce buildings which perform
efficiently from an environmental point of view. (The status-quo design process does not do this: it
entails different disciplines working sequentially to each other, resulting in buildings which perform
significantly less well than they could.)
a) Location: New buildings should be built on land which meets defined criteria for low ecological
value (see the BREEAM Report). If building on ecologically valuable land, design in compliance
with recommendations made by the Royal Society for Nature Conservation, which evaluates sites
for ecological value. New buildings should also be located such that they are easily accessible by
public transport.
b) Orientation: Buildings should be positioned to take maximum advantage of solar gains and
protection from the wind. Passive solar design can save up to 10% of the space heating demand
compared with an average new dwelling. Orient one of the longest sides of the building south,
±45°. Avoid overshadowing within 30° south, and avoid planting trees too near on the south side, or
plant only deciduous trees. However, a shelter belt of trees (located from the building at a distance
of 3-4 times the height of the trees) can protect from the wind. The belt should be curved so that the
convex side is away from the building, directing the wind round the building. Use the natural
features of the site and do not fell trees unnecessarily. Make use of as much natural light as
possible.
c) Building form: Minimise the area of external heat loss by designing the building to be as compact
as possible, without protrusions or extensions. External porches and external draught lobbies can
insulate doors, reduce draughts and provide intermediate space. They should not be heated. Avoid
unheated internal lobbies as they add two cold walls, often uninsulated.

Design, Construction and Extension (July 1997) Page 1

 d) Layout: Main rooms should be on the south side, with stairs (if any), kitchen, toilets, storage, and
other service areas on the north. Distribute windows so that most are facing within 45° of south.
Southeast-facing windows provide good benefits by letting in morning sun when the building has
cooled down overnight. The area of the windows on the south should not be more than 30% of the
floor area for double glazing and 15% for single glazing. Those on the north should not be more
than 10% of the floor area. But check building regulations, as this can change.

Site layout to improve local climate

From BRECSU, Good Practice Guide 79, Low Energy Design for Housing Associations

e) Insulation: The whole building should be insulated and have windows which are at least
double-glazed.
e.g.: • under ground floor: minimum of 100mm
• walls: " " 200mm in cavity
• roof " " 200mm
• double glazing at least, with low-emissivity glass if possible
• draught-proofing round all doors and windows
• insulation of hot water pipes
Renovation of existing buildings which do not have cavity walls: If the external walls are to be
replastered or drylined, investigate external or internal insulation.
f) Ventilation: This is especially important where the building is largely sealed. Use intentional
openings which can be controlled manually, rather than unintentional openings such as leaks round
openings for pipes, cables, doors and windows. Natural ventilation rates of between 0.5 and 1.0 air
change per hour are recommended for a dwelling; this can be achieved by trickle vents in window
frames, extractor fans or passive ventilation in kitchen and toilet.
g) Heating: Although this sounds obvious, the heating system should be correctly sized for the
building’s heat loss. Too often building heating systems are either oversized (resulting in energy
wastage) or undersized (which prevents the interior from being warm enough in cold conditions).
One must guard against oversizing, which is a convenient option for designers who wish to ensure

Design, Construction and Extension (July 1997) Page 2

 adequate heating levels but don’t have to pay the initial or ongoing costs in terms of plant, operation,
and environment. Condensing boilers are more efficient on part-load. Natural gas is the least
damaging and exploitative method of heating, apart from solar heating. Next in order of damage
due to C02 production are oil, coal, and electricity. (See Information Sheet No. II, “Sources of
Heating”.) Heating controls must be able to respond to incidental and solar gains, and to provide
adequate heating in all parts of the building. If possible, use thermostatic radiator valves to regulate
temperature, or have the building designed with zone-controlled heating. It is also advisable to
provide for the thermal isolation of areas which are rarely used.
h) Lighting, appliances, and other equipment: Specify low-energy lighting and energy-efficient plant
and appliances (e.g. condensing boilers for heating, efficient refrigerators, computers which have
“energy stars”), along with stipulating a proper maintenance scheme which will ensure that these
elements function as designed. WCs should have a maximum flushing capacity of 6 litres; 6-litre,
dual-flush toilets are available (see Information Sheet No. V, “Water”). A rainwater collection butt
should be provided.
i) Storage of recyclable materials: Design provision for at least four bins which are clearly identified
as being for different materials (e.g. waste paper, aluminium cans, clear glass, green glass) and
ensure that these will be located near an external door.

2. Materials: criteria for selection (largely from Edward Harland)

a) Clean or non-polluting. Materials should cause minimum damage to the earth’s ecosystem, and so
not contribute to global warming, ozone depletion, acid rain or water pollution.
Global warming is caused by methane, nitrous oxide, and especially carbon dioxide. Materials can
be evaluated in terms of C02 produced per tonne of material, which roughly corresponds with
embodied energy (see Section below). Nitrous oxide is produced by burning biomass and fossil
fuels (again, see Section ). Methane is produced in landfill sites, amongst other places, where
anaerobic decomposition takes place.
CFCs cause global warming as well as ozone depletion. They are used in building in four ways:
• as the expanding gas in insulants such as polyurethane foam, where they could be replaced by
carbon dioxide, helium or argon
• in refrigerators, where they can be replaced by a mixture of propane and butane
• in aerosol sprays, where there are also alternatives
• in fire protection equipment (halon), where carbon dioxide can be used
Acid rain is caused by chemicals produced by coal burning, and therefore in brick and cement
making (see Section ).
Nearly every industrial process uses water at some point, and often pollutant is leaked into the
environment during the process. Many paints, for example cadmium in brilliant white paint, cause
water pollution.
b) Healthy: This concerns our own health rather than that of the planet. There are many contaminants
from building materials that affect our health, e.g. asbestos, organochlorides, dustfrom treated
timber, formaldehyde, lead, phenols, and volatile solvents (in paints, though there are organic paints
which do not contain volatile solvents). PVC (which is in most paint and many plastic products)
produces toxic chemicals in its manufacture, use and disposal, and dioxins when burnt.
Formaldehyde in the glues used to bond fibreboards together is an irritant to the lungs. Urea
formaldehyde is used in some cavity wall insulation. Natural materials from sustainable sources are
generally the best to use where possible.
c) Renewable: The only materials that are truly renewable are from natural sources: from living
organisms that use energy from the sun. These materials are made from compounds that are
continuously recycled. The main sources are plants, such as timber, cork, hessian, and cotton, but
some are also from animals. Labour can also be seen as a renewable resource.

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 d) Abundant: Some mineral resources, such as stone and sand, are abundant but can cause damage in
their extraction.
Timber is also abundant and renewable, but one needs to distinguish between types of timber. Even
old growth temperate forests are now being destroyed, as well as tropical ones. Try to use recycled
wood where possible, or make sure it is from a “sustainable” source, preferably in Britain.
e) Natural or unprocessed: Natural materials use less energy in their production and are usually
healthier, e.g. wood, stone, slate, cork, cellulose, lime. Some insulating materials such as fibreglass,
rock wool, foam glass and vermiculite have been processed to some extent, so might be considered
to be closer to natural materials in environmental impact than are plastics. The crucial goal is that as
little environmental pollution and damage should be created by the material, including the energy
involved in its production and transportation.
f) Recycled: If efficient with respect to total environmental impact (including transportation and
storage), specify materials which have previously been used, such as roof covering (tiles, slates) and
masonry material (brick, concrete block, stone).
g) Recyclable: On the “death” of a building its components should be reusable (brick, stone, timber,
slates, tiles), recyclable (some metals) or biodegradable (wood, thatch).
h) Energy efficient: Energy costs can be a high proportion of the total cost of materials and this is
called “embodied energy”. In decreasing order these are as below:
Single layer roof membrane 45,000 KW per tonne
Aluminium 27,000 " " "
Copper 15,000 " " "
Glass 9,200 " " "
Timber (imported softwood) 1,450 " " "
Plaster, plasterboard 890 " " "
Bricks (non-fletton) 860 " " "
Clay tiles 800 " " "
Lightweight blocks 500 " " "
Sand/cement/render 277 " " "
Concrete 1:3:6 275 " " "
Local slates 200 " " "
Timber (local air-dried) 200 " " "
" (local green oak) 200 " " "
Natural sand/aggregate 30 " " "
These figures, from Save Energy, Save Money, should be used very loosely as they are from
different sources, but they show some interesting differences such as the high cost of metals. If
materials are transported over long distances this cost also has to be taken into account.
i) Locally obtained: These will fit in better with the surroundings and also be much cheaper in terms
of transport. Do not forget car tyres and straw bales, which although new building materials here,
are used more in the USA and can be local and very cheap both financially and in energy terms!
They can be used for sheds and outside toilets.
j) Durable: This includes strength or non-breakability, fire-resistance, ability to withstand water or
high humidity, attack by pesticides or fungus, exposure to light and UV radiation, attack by
chemicals, and resistance to mechanical or electrical breakdown.
k) Design efficient: Using the minimum amount of materials for the job, a simple design, learning
from natural forms, shedding water, maximising sun’s energy and other features to help to make the
building more economical and ecological.
3. Construction
Choose contractors who are concerned about the environment in both their work practices and sourcing
of materials. (It is often helpful to involve the chosen contractors at the design stage so that integration
Design, Construction and Extension (July 1997) Page 4
 of design and construction will yield a total which is, in terms of environmental impact, less than the
sum of the parts.) Important factors include:
• the proper disposal of waste
• minimisation of scarce resources (such as water, especially in summer)
• proper storage, which will reduce the damage, waste, and theft of materials, thus cutting material
requirements
• dealing with unwanted plants by mowing, mulching, or harvesting instead of using weed killers
• protection of existing trees, planting, and wildlife

4. Extension
Extension is undertaken when there is thought to be not enough space in the existing building.
However, before embarking on a major project, look at the building you have and see if it can be
modified internally to provide that space. Why do you need the space - is it for people or for storage?
Can any existing rooms be used for several purposes, or subdivided? Can the roof space be used, or that
over the stairs? (See Edward Harland’s book.)
The actual construction of an extension should follow the same principles as that of a main building.
There may not be much choice about where it should go, but where possible it should be sited according
to its use in relation to the main building, e.g. a kitchen on the north, but a children’s room on the south.
See under Sections 1 and 2 for further details.

References
Bainbridge, Paul: “Help us to keep Hereford green for the future”, 1995
BRE: BREEAM / New Homes, Version 3/91: An environmental assessment for new homes, 1991
BRECSU (Building Research Energy Conservation Support Unit), Garston, Watford WD2 7JR
(Tel: 01923 664258): Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme publications; selection from full list:
Good Practice Guides:
Briefing the design team for energy efficiency in new buildings (GPG 74)
Guide for installers of condensing boilers in commercial buildings (GPG 16)
Introduction to Energy Efficiency in Building Series:
Libraries, Museums, Galleries and Churches (EEB 8)
_____________: Low Energy Designs for Housing Associations, 1993
BSRIA, Old Bracknell Lane West, Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 7AH: Environmental Code of Practice for
Buildings and Their Services, 1994
Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth Powys SY20 9AZ: “Environmental Building Fact Sheet”,
1994
_____________: Save Energy, Save Money, 1995
Friends of the Earth: The Good Wood Guide, 1996
CIRIA: Environmental Issues in Construction: A review of issues and initiatives relevant to the building,
construction and related industries, Volume 2: Technical Review (Special Publication 94), 1993
Department of the Environment: Good Practice Guides these are available from BRECSU at the BRE,
Garston, Watford WD2 7JR
Harland, Edward: The Ecological Home Improvement Guide, 1993

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